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Ceres Seeks to Roll Out Lyme Disease Assay

Funding requested by Delegate David Ramadan (87th) for a groundbreaking new Lyme disease test developed by George Mason University has been included in Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s proposed 2015-2016 budget.

George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) would receive $250,000 to accelerate the rollout of the Nanotrap® based Lyme Antigen Test, which was developed jointly with Ceres Nanosciences. Ceres is currently looking for commercial labs to help launch the assay.

This is a great "home grown" story here- technology developed as a collaboration between a Virginia start-up Biotech launched with funding from Virginia angel investors and a Virginia university that spun the company out is addressing a disease that is hitting Virginia harder then any state (Loudon is ground zero), and now targeted funding from the legislature to get it out," said Emanuel "Chip" Petricoin, Ph.D., co-director of CAPMM and a co-founder Ceres Nanosciences. "We simply don't have the bandwidth here or at Ceres to meet the gargantuan number of patients who need to be tested. This assay could be extremely lucrative for any company. we have completely de-risked the assay- its a urine based test that is ready to go right now. We simply need to find a partner that could run it in their CLIA labs."

Delegate Ramadan requested the funding after working with GMU, Ceres and Loudoun physician Dr. Sam Shor over the summer to add a new patient enrollment site for the clinical study of the test.

"Delegate Ramadan’s support for the new Lyme disease test being developed by George Mason and Ceres Nanosciences has been exceptional and integral to its success. Delegate Ramadan has a great appreciation for the importance of improved testing methods for Lyme disease to the state of Virginia and has been our strongest advocate at the local and state level. We are grateful to have such a strong supporter who both appreciates the issue that is Lyme disease, and understands the investment and resources required to deliver a new test that can provide immediate patient benefit.” said Ceres’ CEO, Ross Dunlap.